Huawei P30 Lite - model MAR-LX1M

[lance_t81]

I recently got a new Huawei P30 Lite - model MAR-LX1M with 6GB/128GB. 

My currently phone is a Samsung Galaxy A5, and this phone works perfectly fine with the nano SIM card from Public Mobile. 

However, when I placed the Public Mobile SIM card into the new Huawei P30 Lite, I cannot make or receive any calls.  This phone works fine with my friend's BellMTS SIM card, so I know it's not the phone itself.  I also tried this phone with a Rogers SIM card, and it works fine too.

I had tried to restart the phone, power-cycled it, etc, but still unable to use it on Public Mobile. 

Does anyone know if this phone is compatible?
Thanks in advance!

[softech]

B5 850.. which might explain what happened..

[lance_t81]

@sheytoon @Anonymous 

With my BellMTS SIM card inserted and 4G turned off, I installed CellMapper, then made a test call - and the call worked, data worked, text worked
The icon is H+ on the top during the call

[lance_t81]

@sheytoon 

Thank you for looking into this.  I will try it this afternoon and report back with the result from Cellmapper

[sheytoon]

MTS and Bell are identical now. They only use B2 and B5 for 3G.

Bands 1 and 8 are not licensed for use in Canada.

My suspicion is his Huawei phone only supports 3G B5, which allows it to work on Bell(MTS), but not on Telus in Winnipeg and Brandon. If he takes his SIM and phone to rural Manitoba, it should work on PM, because Telus still uses the shared network which has 3G B5.

@lance_t81 can you install Cellmapper and identify which band you are on when 3G is being used on Bell?

[Anonymous]

 @sheytoon : Thanks for answering the call. 🙂 The puzzler is that the OP has other phones that work fine with PM in the same location. That this phone will connect LTE but not do WCDMA. I wondered if through all the Bell and MTS goings-on that there might be some differences. Straight Bell ok. But I wondered if there was some difference with MTS. I accepted the possibility that it connected to Rogers with GSM.

I found the specs from the manufacturer from the country of origin. The problem seems to indicate that maybe the specs are true. Which lead me to asking you about MTS.

[sheytoon]

Big guys are using only B2 and B5 for 3G in Canada. Freedom, Eastlink, Videotron are using B4.

Most likely the specs that @Anonymous found are not correct. The phone does support B2 or B5, which is why it's working on Bell 3G.

[softech]

@sheytoon   another question.. are all networks in Canada (Rogers/Bell/Telus) only using B2 (1900) and B5 (850) on 3G?

Look like @Anonymous found out this Russian variant has a different 3G bands ( 900/2100),   curious why it is connecting to Rogers and BellMTS without issue.

[sheytoon]

@lance_t81 sorry for being late to the party.

The reason it's not working is that Manitoba is a special province. In Winnipeg and Brandon, Telus uses their own network entirely, which is different than the shared Bell/Rogers network.

Telus doesn't have 3G B5 (850 MHz). Which means phone calls on PM must use 3G B2 (1900 MHz). Either your phone isn't supporting 3G 1900, or you are out of coverage for Telus 3G in your location, while being in coverage of Bell/Rogers.

LTE might work on certain bands, which would let you use data, SMS/MMS, voicemail indicator, but the actual voice calling still requires 3G 1900.

[cellphoneuser1]

@lance_t81 Bell is the same network.  Maybe Telus is blocking the IMEI but other carriers aren't. The CSA maybe only checked the national list but but not the internal list.

[lance_t81]

@Anonymous
P30 Lite + BellMTS SIM + Data Off:

• LTE on: calling will cause the indicator to drop to 3G.  Call works as expected
• LTE off (that is, WCDMA only): indicator stays as 3G as call is made successfully.

[Anonymous]

 @lance_t81 : I'm sorry...I'm getting a little punchy over all this weirdness and my posts and the time. I had meant for you to test it with the Bell SIM in. Data off. Set to the LTE etc mode.  Watch the bars and any other indicators upon making a call. Like the moment you press the go button...look.

[lance_t81]

@Anonymous  P30 Lite + PM SIM + LTE on + Data Off: calls do not go thru.  LTE indicator flickered but didn't go to 3G - not that I could tell anyway, the flicker is fast.  There is no dial sound, and after about 10-15 seconds the call attempt just unceremoniously stopped.

Sometimes there would be a balloon that said "No service" right after the call ended, but it doesn't happen all the time.

[Anonymous]

 @lance_t81 : Thanks. I don't know what happened to the post. I stripped it of everything possibly objectionable that i could think of.

I don't get it. I don't see how it can work with data off BellMTS but not here other than the bit of proof that I found that it uses different frequencies. But BellMTS uses the frequencies this place uses.

So again...data off, full LTE setting not WCDMA only make a call and watch the top bar. Do the bars change? Do you get an LTE indicator as though it flips on just for the call? I dunno.

[lance_t81]

@Anonymous 

I did see your post regarding a Russian manual.  I clicked on Reply and got an error and the post disappeared.

I believe you asked if I could do LTE with data off, then call to see if it dropped to 3G.  On the P30 Lite + BellMTS SIM + WCDMA only, it did exactly that: call was able to go thru though.

[Anonymous]

The phone uses 900 and 2100. Not 850 and 1900.

[Anonymous]

I must now be afflicted with the old poof the magic disappearing post bug. I dunno.

The phone is not compatible according to the manufacturers source for the country. I don't know why it works with the ring company.

[lance_t81]

@softechIt was not for naught.  Now we know this particular model will not work.  I am curious though if other variants would have worked, but ah well.

I got a friend's cousin who might be interested in this phone.  I already got my own phone, so I will be reaching out thru my personal acquaintances.

[lance_t81]

@Anonymous  It was a lot more work than I bargained for, that's for sure!

As far as Customer Service is concerned, after verifying the IMEI numbers, they asked me to try the PM SIM card on different phones, to which I replied I did.

I also linked them this thread, as you guys are way ahead of them already!

[softech]

@lance_t81  Bravo for you for all the work you have done..  Sad that it didn't end with the result we want  😞

Sell it .. it still worth $200 - $250.  You did all the testing, you could say fully tested with Rogers and BellMTS

[Anonymous]

 @lance_t81 : Have you had any explanation from any CSA's?

Again, outstanding work on your part to soldier through this adventure.

How might it be possible that all references that we've seen indicate the phone should work. I know there's the MB matter but other phones work with the same SIM where you're located.

[lance_t81]

I think this case is closed... for now.

PM SIM card is fine, phone is fine too, but there is no love between this phone and PM 😞

Thanks again to everyone. We came, we tried, and ... I am giving up.  RIP

[Anonymous]

China and Russia are really messin' with ya through all this. South Korea for the win.

Bet if you changed Network mode to LTE etc that it would flip down to WCDMA when you make a call.

So if that works on talk/text/data then change to LTE and test talk/text/data.

The APN might need some work so we'll see if data works.

It's a puzzler why the Huawei doesn't want to work.

[lance_t81]

[lance_t81]

This is the Samsung Galaxy A5 with the PM SIM card inserted.  All tested at the same location right now in Winnipeg as the Huawei P30 Lite

Will repost...

[Anonymous]

 @lance_t81 : Yeah every spec I can find says it should be fine. Then there's MB.

That A5 should be fine but it's past any update capability. So for just talk and text it should be fine. But internet security might be an issue. Even MMS.

Edit: But I guess you'll see soon enough.

[softech]

---

@lance_t81 wrote:

@Anonymous  Thank you for all the assistance you provided

Thanks to everyone else too who contributed. 

I have to say I never ever had such difficulty using a new phone haha.  I did check Kimovil before and was pretty sure too that this phone would work:

But... it just does not.  We are going to stick to the good ol' Samsung Galaxy A5 for the time being.  It is slow but it can make/receive calls!

---

Yes, I checked the spec and i think it is correct.  That's why I think it is more a device issue.. faulty device, maybe.

[lance_t81]

@softech  Yes, I do have the Samsung Galaxy A5 with me.  Let me take pictures of that phone in action!  Stay tuned...

[lance_t81]

@Anonymous  Thank you for all the assistance you provided

Thanks to everyone else too who contributed. 

I have to say I never ever had such difficulty using a new phone haha.  I did check Kimovil before and was pretty sure too that this phone would work:

But... it just does not.  We are going to stick to the good ol' Samsung Galaxy A5 for the time being.  It is slow but it can make/receive calls!

[softech]

@lance_t81   the compatibility is not up to date and does not cover all phones, so.. it doesn't mean much

but you said you can use PM on your Samsung phone in the same place where you tested your Huawei?  this we cannot explain.. 

[Anonymous]

 @lance_t81 : Don't trust that list. It's not exhaustive. Trust the general message it says about frequencies and such.

Edit: lol except where you are.